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Monday, April 4, 4:45PM
University Events Room
Glickman Family Library, 7th floor
Portland USM Campus (map)

Check out Joel's podcast here!! Due to technical difficulties, only a portion of the recording is available.

Supporting Sponsors:

Foundations are a peculiarly American institution. They have been the dynamo of social change since their invention at the beginning of the last century. Yet they are cloaked in secrecy— their decision-making and operations are inscrutable to the point of obscurity-leaving them substantially unaccountable to anyone. Joel Fleishman has been in and around foundations for almost half a century...running them, sitting on their boards, and seeking grants from them. And in this groundbreaking book he explains the history of foundations, tells the stories of the most successful foundation initiatives—and of those that have failed—and explains why it matters. The baby boomer generation is going to participate in the largest transfer of wealth in history when it passes on its assets to its successor generation. In 2010, more than 88,000 foundations gave a total of $52 billion to various charitable purposes. And in Maine, 327 foundations give about $127 million annually in grants and scholarships. Given their large and growing size, Professor Fleishman shows how foundations can provide a vital spur to the engine of the American, and the world's, economy—if they are properly established and run.

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In 1971, Mr. Fleishman joined the faculty of Duke University as founding Director of the Institute of Policy Sciences and Public Affairs (now called the Sanford School of Public Policy), a position he held until 1983. He has been Professor of Law and Public Policy Studies since 1974, and has served Duke in numerous administrative posts including that of First Senior Vice President of the University.

In September of 1993, Mr. Fleishman relinquished his administrative duties at Duke University to become President of The Atlantic Philanthropic Service Company, the U.S. Program Staff of Atlantic Philanthropies. Throughout his ten years with Atlantic, Mr. Fleishman continued to teach and work part-time at Duke as Professor of Law and Public Policy Studies and Director of the Sam and Ronnie Heyman Center for Ethics, Public Policy and the Professions within the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy, returning to full-time status in those positions effective July 1, 2003.

Mr. Fleishman is the author of The Foundation: A Great American Secret—How Private Wealth is Changing the World (New York: PublicAffairs Books, 2007). A new book, which he is co-authoring with Tom Tierney, chairman of The Bridgespan Group, entitled Give Smart: Philanthropy that Gets Results, is targeted for release in late March 2011.  Mr. Fleishman is a graduate of the University of North Carolina (A.B., 1955, J.D., 1959) and Yale University (LL.M., 1960).  He serves on the board of directors of the Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation, and on several nonprofit boards, including that of The Urban Institute, of which he is Chairman, and the Partnership for Public Service.  In 2003, he was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

The colloquium is sponsored by the
L.L. Bean/Lee Surace Endowed Chair in Accounting.
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USM Professor Jeffrey Gramlich was appointed the first L.L. Bean/Lee Surace Chair in Accounting in the USM School of Business in 2003. His appointment was made possible by a $1 million gift from L.L. Bean, Inc., its board chair, Leon Gorman, his wife Lisa, Jim and Maureen Gorman, and Tom Gorman, who established the chair in memory of L.L. Bean CFO Lee Surace '73, '81, who died in March of 2001. Surace was chair of the USM School of Business' Advisory Council and was a frequent guest lecturer.

The USM School of Business is accredited by the prestigious AACSB International. For students seeking the finest education and companies seeking the highest caliber talent, partnership, and educational opportunities, AACSB International accreditation is one of the most important affirmations of sustained quality in the word. For more information about School of Business programs, call 780-4020.

M President